Improvement in telegraphic prfttefitions, for safes, vaults, and buildings



2 Sheets-Sheet, 1.

w. B. WATKINS. TELEGRAPHIO BURGLAR DETECTOR AND POLICE ALARM.

No. 111,408. Patented Jan. 31, 1871.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

' W. B. WATKINS. TELEGRAPHIG BURGLAR DETECTOR AND POLICE ALARM.

No. 111,408. w j Patented Jan. 31, 1871.

PoZdz 1.92%.

Police mm.

v M tnes'ses M 2; [7206/2371]? UN TED $TATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM B. WATKINS, OF JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY.

IMPROVEMENT IN TELEGRAPHIC PBQIEETIDNSJOR SAFES.--VAULTS;IAND BUILDINGS.I

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No.1 1 1,408, dated January31, 1371.

To all whom it may concern:

'Be it known that I, WILLIAM B. WATKINS, ,of-Jersey City, county ofHudson and State of New Jersey,-have invent-ed certain Improvements inMeans of Telegraphic Protection for Buildings, Vaults, and Safes, and inPolice-Alarm Systems, of which the following is a specification:

The object of the first part of my invention is to provide a moreperfect means for detect ing the operations ot' burglars in buildingsthan has been heretofore employed; and consists in constructin g anouter casin g for safes and vaults, and in shielding or lining theinside of such easing, or the inside of the safe on vault itself, andalso the inside ofdoors,

shutters, skylights, or other exposed portions,

of buildings where valuables are kept, with a series of metallic strips-or springs, each over lapping the other in such a manner as to form anuninterrupted course, the beginning and ending of the course to beconnected with the poles of a battery, and-the electric circuit toembrace suitable alarm mechanism, so that when a burglar or other personpenetrates or removes any portion of the part so shielded the strips orsprings will be-separated from each other, the electric circuit will bebroken, the alarm sounded, and the operations of the burglar detected.

The object of the second part of my invention is to provide for publicuse a telegraphic burglar-detective and police-alarm systemmore perfectthan has heretofore been employed; and consists in constructing a maintelegraph-line which shall embrace-within the circuit police-stations indifferent parts of a townoncitxatheliue Lobe-provided with suit-- ablebattery-powerand apparatus for protecting and testing the line, and eachpolice-station to have alarm-bells within the circuit, and

in the street, or any desired signal, will be immediately sounded orstruck at all the policestations, thus bringing the proper oificers tothe spot forthe capture of the burglar. I further provide the buildingsso connected with telegraphic apparatus for communicating with. thepolicestations when desired.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1, Sheet -N 0. 1, represents aconvenient form of springs or strips, a, fa-stened to a section of wood,a. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a section of non-conducting materialwith several strips, a, fastened to it, and shows the effect of atoolwhen driven into the section. Fig. 3-is a View of a horizontalsection of an outer casing, A, with the strips applied to it, andinclosing asafe-or-w'aula-Br Fig. 4 is a view of the inside of a door,0, shielded with the strips or springs a. Fig. 5 is a view of askylight, D, showing one way in which the strips a may be applied. Fig.6, Sheet N o. 2, is a view of the connections of the casing A, door 0,and skylight D with an alarm mechanism, 'F, for sounding the number ofthe street and building, a magnet, Gr, local alarm mechanism H, magnetJ, switch-board K, 10- cal battery L, and their connections with theline. Fig. 6 also represents a main line, M,

connecting with police-stations N O P Q, and with banks R S '1 andseveral buildings, 1 2 3 L5 6,and in the bank It the main-lineconnections with the alarm mechanism F, switchboard U, andtelegraph-instrument V, and in the police-station N the connections withthe main line of the battery W, alarm-bell X, and telegraph-instrumentY. Fig. 7 is a view of the break-plate w, for opening and closing themain lineafor sounding the number of the street and building.

In carrying out the first part of my invention, I do not confine myselfto any particular shape or size of spring, nor to any particulararrangement of the order of the series.

The springs may be made of thin sheetbra-ss, or other metal or conductorof electricity, and each spring should be secured to the part to beprotected, so as not to turn or slide edgewise on the spring which itoverlaps. They should be fastened in such manner as to press againsteach other, so as to insure the free passage of the electric currentthrough each strip, and the whole should be-so arranged that each row ofthe series shall'be separate from the row adjoining, so that theelectric current may be completed through each spring in the series.They should bemade sufliciently thin and pliable, so that if a toolshould be driveuthrough the part shielded and then withdrawn, the stripwith which the tool comes in contact would remain separated from the onewhich follows, as shown .by thedotted lines, Fig. 2.

order-of the series or rows should be so close to each other that thefinest drills or tools used by burglars in penetrating between any tworows would come in contact with the edges of the springs or strips, andpress them back from the springs with which they connect.

"The manner in which the strips may be fastened to the parts andconnected with each other will be readily understood by reference toFigs. 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, Sheet No. 1. The points b and b iuFig. 3 showwhere the local line connects with the springs onthe inside of thecasing A. 1 They follow and connect with each other in any convenientorder on all sides, and on the top and bottom of the casing, connectingat the corners, as [shown at n a a, connecting with the door, as shownat p, the circuit passing through the metallic hinge p, with which thesprings connect on each side. The local line connects with the door 0,Fig. 4, through-the hin'ge d with thesprin'gu, and the current willpass, in the'directiou of the arrows, through each spring of the series,forward and backward across the door, the connection" being completedfrom the door to the local line by the strips c e.

Bnrglars frequently enter buildings through skylights. I propose toshield these places in the same manner; but for this purpose I use.longer and narrower springs or strips, fastened to light bars orsupports f f Fig. 5. At Fig. 5 the 'fastenings and connections of thestrips, and with the local line, are plainly seen.

In the manner in which the door 0, Fig. 4,.

is lined, the whole floor or interior ot' a room may be covered orlined, so as to present a shield which could-not be penetrated withoutgiving an alarm; nor could any portion of a door or casing, or otherpart so shielded, be split apart or cut out without separating some onestrip or spring from another, thus breaking thelocal circuit-and causingthe-desired alarm.

Another advantage in the use of the strips or springs is, the facilitywith which all parts of the circuit may be tested when the connect mshave been disturbed.

' Any suitable covering may be used to prev nt accidental separation ofthe, spi'ingsand ,tc' shield them from the dust.

In Fig. 6, Sheet No. 2, the bank-building R is shown as connected withthe main line M, and also as having the local-line connections. From onepole "of the local battery L the wire b runs and connects with thecasing A of the safe or vault, the electric current passing the magnet.

through thestrip's or springs upon the inside, as described, "andleaving by the wire 0 in the direction of the arrows, passes through theswitch d, and through the wire a to the door G, where it connects withand passes through the strips or springs,'as described, and thence bythe wire f to the skylight D, through the springs attached to the, same,as seen "at Fig. 5; then through the wire 9 to and through the switch h;thence by thewirc i toand through Do-insure the most perfect protectionthe:

-the coils ot" the magnet G, and by the wire j to the switch k, andthence through the wire it to the other pole of the battery. A branch, I(shown by the dotted lines,) connects with the magnetJ and the button m,and also with the button Another branch, 0, passes to the button p, andextends to the button q. An-

other branch, 11, connects with the switch 8.

The mainline M, commencing at the policestation N, runs from one pole ofthebattery W, in the direction of the arrow, to the station'O; is thenconnected with a row of buildings, l 2 3 4 5 6, and bank T, runningthence to the station P; thence to thebank S, with which it isconnected; thence through the station Q; thence to the bank It,connecting with the mechanism, as hereinafter described; thencereturning to the station N through the switch t and coils of the magnetz to the other pole of the battery. The armature 11 carries a clapperfor striking the bell X when the armature is released and againattracted by The telegraph-instrument Y, by means of the switch t, maybe brought into the circuit and used for telegraphin g when desired.

In the bank R the line is connected with a mechanism for striking thenumber of the street and the number of the building, or the latter only.In the example shown the street is supposed to be-glhird street, and thenumber of the building 32. The mechanism for causing these numbers to bestruck at the police-stations may be of any suitable construction-such,for instance, as a wound-up train of wheels, one of which may hnve. pinssecured to it at intervals, and arranged so as to come opposite to, andopen and close a key of, the main line at intervals, so as to sound thedesired number; or the main line may be connected with a revolvingmetallic wheel attached to one of the shafts of the train, and

having breaks out in it, or non-conductors inserted on its side or edgeat the proper interyals, so as to open and close the mainline to producethe desired signal at the police-station.

In the example shown I use a wound-up train of wheels, which need not behere further described than to state that it may be constructed so as tobe carried by the force of a spring, or weight, and the speed of thetrain, when released, be governed by a fan attached to the last shaft ina well-known manner. The

train should be inclosed in a box for its protection, as shown at F.

Upon thefram'e of the trainis securedacircnlar metallic plate, an,insulated from the train around the plate :12.

-and frame. Through the center of the plate one of the shafts of thetrain extends, soas not to touch the plate .72. One end of a metallicarm, 3 is secured to this shaft, and insulated fromit, and the other endof the arm is in con-' tact with the'edge of the plate, and is made topress lightly against it, so that when the train is released the arm ywill revolve around the plate. A metallic spring or standard, 31connected with the line M, is fastened at the lower endto the frame, andthe other end presses against the revolving arm at the point where thearm is fastened to the shaft, so that the standard and the arm will bein contact with each other when the latter revolves. Non-con ductors orbreaks are inserted, or notches cut, in the-edge of the plate in groups,the first group, 11 12 13, "Fig. 7, being arranged to produce threestrokes at short intervals for the street number. There is then ametallic interval,-14, and then a group of breaks, 1'5 16 17, at longerintervals; then a metallic interval, 18, then a group, 19 20. The lasttwo groups, at longer intervals, produce strokes so as to distinguishthe number of the building from that of the street. There is then ametallic interval, 21. Between the intervals 21 and 23 there is a seriesof breaks at exceedingly short intervals, as seen at 22, so as to"produce a series of rapid vibrations or strokes upon the bells at thepolice-stations. The ob ject of this arrangement is to distinguish analarm caused by a burglar from auaiarm pro-' duced from any other cause,and emanating from the same building, so as to strike the number of thestreet and .the number of the building. The line enters the bank'R,passes to the switch and key-board U through the switch ml, and key 20,and switch 2 to the metallic standard ar which is in metallic connectionwith the plate so. The electric current passes through the plate, andrevolving arm 3 and standard g, which is connected with the line. Thecircuit of the main line is thus completed within the bank through themechan- 1sm.

The electric current of the local line passes, as described, through thecoils of the magnet (3r, which attractsthe-armature a, to which an arm,0 is attached, and which may be arranged in any suitable manner, so asto lock and release the train when the local circuit is closed andbroken. In the example shown'it catches the fly-c whcn the armature031's attracted by the magnet, and locks the train and, by means of aspring, the arm is pulled away when the circuit is broken, and the trainis thus released, causing the arm 3 to revolve The detents 1L2 and k arefor locking the flyc and c 011 each train, when desired; but they shouldbe turned in the direction shown by the dotted lines at all othertimes.Now, when the train in the box E is wound up, and the local circuitisclosed and completed through the shielded parts of the door, safe, orvault, skylight, and switch-counections, as shown and described, and themain line is also closed, it will be evident that if a burglar attemptsto break through any of the parts shielded with the strips or springs,-

and comes in contact with any of them, as described, the local circuitwill be broken, the

armature a will be released and pulledback, the train of wheels set inmotion, and the arm y will revolve around the break-plate m, which-'will open and close the main line M, so as to shown at V. But theswitch a. should remain' in the position shown at all times, so that thefull strength of the current may pass through the magnets at thepolice-stations which workv the alarm-bells, except when emergenciesarise during the dayat banks and other buildings connected with the linerequiring communication with or assistance from the police-stations.'When' the switch 2 is turned on the button 24 the current will passthrough the branch 35, (shown by the dotted lines,) and the train ofwheels or break-platewmay be removed for repairs withoutbreakiug themain line, thus preserving all other connections. Auy' suit-able alarmmechanism may be placed'at H for local alarm purposes. A' wound up trainof wheels may used for the purpose, which, when released, will carry orrevolve awheel, g, with pins fastened toit, so as to trip a hammer, g,for striking the bell g. When the switch It is turned on the button m,the current of the local circuit will pass through the branch I andcoils of the magnet J, which may be made to operate an armature andlever, 1 so as to catch thefly c and thus lock and release the trainwhen the local circuit is closed and broken. ment both a local andpolice alarm may be sounded by the operations of the burglar. Theadvantage of combining the two alarms within the local circuit is, thatif burglars should attack a bank in such numbers as to disregard a localalarm and overpower a watchman, as has frequently been the case, analarm would still be sounded at the policestations through the mainline, and their designs be thus frustrated. 1

When the switch (1 is turned on the button 19, and the switch his turnedon the button m, as shown by the dotted lines, the connections of thelocal line will be 'witlr the safe only, and both a local and policealarm will be sounded when the safe is interfered with. When the switch70 is turned "on the button a, and the switch d is turned on the buttonp, the safe and local alarm only will be embraced within the localcircuit, and no police-alarm By this arrange 'this arrangementis toprevent unnecessary alarms during the day.

The alarm mechanism 13 should be kept in a secret place where burglarswould not be likely to find it, The switch-boards K and U ma-y be keptin any convenient secret place for office use. The main line M may beeither ametallic circuit, or, with proper ground connections, may bepart metallic and part ground circuit, and may be carried and supported,in the usual manner, above ground, or be carried under ground throughpipes.

In large cities, for the purpose of affording means of protection tobuildings at remote points, separate lines, all centering at one point,and there provided with suitable battery-power, and connected withalarm-bells in police-stations, may extend over difi'erent sections of acity; or branches or loops may be carried from any point of the mainline for this purpose. M represents such an extra line, and M representsa loop or branch, which may connect with and extend from the mainline.

As it is necessary to keep up the power of the battery, the advantage ofthe closed local circuit will be evident, for the battery could not rundown without releasing the train of Wheels and giving the alarm and ii agalvanometer or other instrument for indicating the condition ofthecurrent be embraced within the circuit, this cause of an alarm couldbe readily detected.

It is the principal design of one branch of this invention to affordmeans which shall alarm the police, and direct them to the very spotwhen burglars attack banks or-other vbuildings that are protected, so asto secure their capture at the very outset. To insure this end with thegreatest certainty, the pofor the purpose described.

lice-alarm mechanism at F; only should be embraced in the local circuit,for, if the local alarinat H should also be set in motion, the burglarswould become alarmedv and their capture defeated.

I claim- 1. "A shield or lining for vaults, safes, doors, or other partsof buildings, consisting of a series of strips or springs, through whichthe electric circuit of a line provided with bat- ,terypower iscompleted, combined with mechanism for sounding an alarm when any stripor spring of the series is pressed apart or separated from another stripor spring.

2. A burglar-detective and police-alarm system, consisting of amain-telegraph-line or lines, provided with suitable battery-power,embracing police-stations and having alarmbells in the circuit, combinedor connected with mechanism embraced within a closed circuit in banks orother-buildings, which mechanism, when set in motion by the operationsof burglars upon the protected parts of such banks or other buildings,will open and close the main line, so as to sound the number of thestreet and the number of the building, or the latter only, or anydesired signal, at the police-stations.

3. The combination and arrangement of the switches d, h, k, and s' withthe local line,

4. The combination of a local and police alarm mechanism, arranged asand for th: purpose described.

5. The combination of the following elements, viz: first, a main lineconstructed to enter banks or other buildings; second, a local lineWithin such buildings, embracing wit-hin'its circuit a series of springsor strips, arranged as and for the purpose described; third, mechanismcombined with said local line-for opening and closing the main line, soas to sound the number of the street and that of the building, or thelatter only, when the strips or springs are separated from each other,as described. I

WILLIAM B. WATKINS,

Witnesses:

THOMAS C. (JoNNoLLY, Tnos. S. MERGER.

